According to a defense official, the drone strike in the desert of central Libya Friday killed “several” ISIS militants in a sign the Pentagon may be ramping up pressure on terror groups in Africa, it added.

The most recent strike comes a year after the military launched nearly 500 airstrikes against ISIS in the coastal city of Sirte, located halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi. The September strike killed 17 ISIS fighters, according to Fox News.